Lord of the Cries
by the Beauty of Nightmares
Summary: This is a sequel to Lord of the Flies that I wrote for my English class then decided to continue writing and post. A year after leaving the island, Ralph is living a relatively normal life in New York City with his mom, that is, until his world is turned upside down. (Note: discontinued until further notice)
1. Prologue

**AN: I originally wrote this as a creative response for my English class, so this and the next four chapters will not be very long because I already wrote them, I'm just doing a bit a editing.**

Ralph looked once more at the island. It wasn't that he was unhappy to be leaving, it was more that so much had happened there. The crash, becoming chief, splitting the tribe, the insanity, the savagery, the death. Once again, Ralph found his mind being dragged to thoughts of Simon and Piggy. It seemed like so long ago they had all just landed on the island, and the three of them were exploring the island. With Jack. They'd been on the island so long. Ralph had forgotten that Jack was just a kid, that all of them were just kids. Ralph looked once more to the island as the ship carried them away. It wasn't that Ralph was going to miss the island, it was that it reminded him that it was just a small island in the Pacific, not the whole world.

As the island became a dot on the horizon, the boat lurched in the waves, spraying salty ocean water onto Ralph's newly cleaned face. As soon as all the boys had stood together on the pristine ship, the naval officers had insisted they all shower. The showers had been followed by haircuts and being told to put some clothes on. The once familiar feeling of being clothed was now strange and uncomfortable to Ralph. He and the other boys had grown quite used to the freeness nudity.

Jack and his tribe had settled down and were suddenly as complacent to the adults as they'd been when they landed on the island. As soon as they were clothed and given their army regulation haircuts, they went and sat in the rooms they were given quiet as a sleeping beast. Ralph could stand to be inside right now. He had become accustomed to the fury of the elements beating at his back.

Ralph still had so many unanswered questions. How long had they been on the island? Was anyone looking for them? When would they get home? Who was going to tell Simon's parents he was dead? Piggy's aunt? The boy with the mulberry-colored birthmark's parents? All of them were dead and gone Ralph thought, and here I am fed, clothed, and on my way home to people that care about me. Those boys' families will never even get to see their children's bodies to say goodbye.

Suddenly, the realization dawned on Ralph: Nothing would ever be the same again.

 **I hope everyone likes this and wants to keep reading! It gets better, I promise. Please comment and favorite and whatever else it is you peoples can do.**

 **XOXO - the Beauty of Nightmares**


	2. Twelve Months Later

As it begins to rain, the streets of New York City begin to flood with people all rushing towards the nearest overhang. Soon, only a few stragglers remain out in the down-poor. Barely visible under the sheet of water, a boy with fair hair wonders around the urban jungle making no attempt to avoid the deluge of water around him. The boy finally reaches what seems to be his destination at a small bookstore.

"Mom! I'm home!" the boy shouted. As footsteps pounded down the old wooden stairs, a small woman with hair similar to the boy's came into view.

"Ralph!" the woman said with both relief and irritation seeping through her soft British accent. "Where have you been? It started raining hours ago! I was getting worried."

"Sorry, Mum, I got distracted when it started to rain," Ralph said simply as he quickly pushed past his mother towards the stairs of their loft. Rain always bothered him. It made him think of _that_ day on the island. The only day on the island he can remember a storm so wild. On top of that, today was the anniversary of the day he docked in port without _him._ Ralph cringed as he remembered _his_ face after they had killed him; pale and lifeless, yet soft, as though he had known that it had to be done.

Finally, after what felt like a hike up the mountain, Ralph reached his bedroom, pulled on some dry clothes and began to think of all that had happened in the past year.

 **Yay! Chapter 1! Give me ten minutes and I'll post chapter 2 since it is already written and this chapter really doesn't have much excitement.**


	3. The Ones Returned

By the time Ralph and the other boys had reached Albert Dock in Liverpool, the naval officers had meetings with all of the boys. He and the other boys had also been told that they'd been on that island for 3 and a half years and it was now 1957. It was then that Ralph remembered that he was just a child. Sure, he was 15 now instead of 12, but an adolescent none the less. Ralph also managed to grasp that even Jack was still 14 for another week or so. As soon as Jack had gotten out of his meeting, he started bragging about how they'd been rescued just eight days before his 15th birthday and how they would be reaching Liverpool on his birthday.

The news the officers had given Ralph was exciting too, at first. They told Ralph that they'd found his mother and she'd be waiting for him when they arrived. Ralph's parents had gotten a divorce when he was three and, since his father was given full custody, he hadn't seen his mother in over ten years. But when Ralph had asked if his father would be there he was informed that the ship his father commanded was bombed. There had been no survivors.

The officers talked with talked with the twins at the same time. They had come out with such happy looks on their faces, that Ralph had had to ask. Samneric took turns interrupting each other as they told Ralph how both of their parents would be there to pick them up when we got to Liverpool. What the twins thought was even better, though, was that a little more than a year after the boys had gotten stranded, their mother had given birth to Susan and Elizabeth, Samneric's new little twin sisters. The relief of knowing that those two boys were going to be all right, made it a little easier for Ralph when it was time to leave them.

The first thing the boys saw as they reached the port was all of the parents anxiously waiting to see their children's faces again. The second things that they saw were the horde of reporters and news cameras excitedly waiting to write a story on how 22 of the 25 boys, ages 12 and under, survived on a small island in the Pacific of over three years.

As the boat docked, most of the boys on the ship was leaning dangerously far over the railing of the ship, trying to get a glimpse at their parents and yelling and screaming for them as they did. Some of the boys, like Jack, Roger, Henry, and Maurice, had other people waiting to pick them up. For Jack, a bus of kids on their way back to boarding school from fall break. Roger and Maurice's parents had been killed by the bombs and a social worker was there to take them somewhere. A nicely dressed man standing stiffly in front of a limo held a sign with Henry's name on it. At least he was going home.

Ralph was the first boy off the ship. He had slowly walked around until he finally saw the face of woman who he hadn't seen in what felt like a life time and broke into a sprint. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed his mother since he'd last saw her on his fifth birthday. The world had faded away as Ralph's mother held his face in her hands and checked him over for cuts and scrapes just as she'd done when he fell off his bicycle when he was little.

A week later, Ralph's mother told him that about 6 years ago, she had moved to New York City in America and now she wanted to know if it would be ok with Ralph if they lived there. His mother said she would move back to London if Ralph wanted to live there still, but, as Ralph's father had moved around a lot, Ralph decided that he would like to have a real home for once.

 _Tap, tap, tap_

His mother's knock brought Ralph back to the present.

 **So, I'm gonna tweak chapters 3 and 4 and maybe write chapter 5 before I post again because I posted chapter 1 just a little bit ago, so for those of you who enjoy reading this story, be looking for the next chapter (or two?) maybe by tonight but definitely by tomorrow. Also, I have a couple one-shots if anyone wants to go check those out (the links are in my profile). Lastly, please review, favorite, etc. because if no one reads this I may not be as motivated to continue writing it after I post the chapters I've already written.**

 **XOXO- the Beauty of Nightmares**


	4. The Ones Never Forgotten

"Sweetheart, is it okay if I come in?" At that moment, Ralph's mother opened the door a crack and poked her head in. Ralph nodded solemnly in response to her question as he sat up to talk to her. His mother sat down on his bed and sighed softly as she put a hand on his cheek. "What is it about rain that seems to put you in such a sad mood?"

"Just thinking about a friend," Ralph answered leaning into his mother's hand as she stroked her thumb along one of the cuts from the island that had scared.

"One of the boys who didn't make it off the island?" Startled by her accuracy, Ralph jerked his head up to look her in the eyes.

"How do you always do that?" He questioned her. Ralph swore his mother was a mind reader sometimes. She chuckled a little at his slight annoyance.

"When you think about the island, you get this look right here," she paused to point at a spot between her eyes on the bridge of her nose, "every time you think of the island," she finished. Ralph sighed and looked up at her.

"His name was Simon," Ralph started, "and we killed him."

"What?" Ralph looked at his mother as an expression of both confusion and horror manifested on her face.

"It was dark and he came down the mountain stumbling and bleeding. There was a beast on that island and when the hunters saw a stumbling figure hurtling at them moaning about something, they made a conclusion too quickly." Ralph's voice was starting to tremble as he continued. "They beat him. They beat him so much and so hard and Simon was such a weak boy to begin with that I don't think it lasted more than a few minutes. Piggy and I were there, at their camp, that night. They'd killed a sow earlier that day and invited us over for food." Ralph was sobbing now as his mother looked at him as though he was a fragile glass doll about to break and began to tell him to stop but Ralph beat her to it.

No, mum, I think I need to say this." Ralph looked at her as she nodded. "Piggy and I, we didn't realize it was Simon and not the beast until the hunters threw him over the cliff and we saw his face. He fell into the ocean floated away from us." Ralph could see that his mother thought he was done, but he still hadn't finished. "Not two days later, Piggy stood up for me and it got him pushed off a cliff by a boulder." Now he was done.

"Sweetheart, they live inside you, in your heart. As long as you never forget them, they will live on in your memory." Ralph's mom whispered to him as she brought his head to her chest and held on to her baby, finally understanding the true monstrosities of the island.

"Mum," Ralph said looking up at her, "that is so cheesy."

 **There it is folks! I will probably have chapter 4 up by tonight if not sooner and after that my chapters will not be as rapidly posted because I will actually have to write them. So, tell me what you think and I just realized you can be alerted when a story is updated, so if y'all like this, I suggest turning that on because I don't really have a schedule for when I post. I mean, I'll try to get something up maybe every week, but it isn't gonna be like "Oh its Friday, a new chapter is up." I may post one chapter on a Friday then the next chapter on a Tuesday. You will never know. Anyway, please comment and let me know I have people enjoying this story and we shall see how the story continues.**

 **XOXO- the beauty of nightmares**


	5. The One Found

Ralph looked around the classroom, distracted from his work yet again. After all that time on the island, he had had to make up year seven, year eight, and year nine. He had tested out of years seven and eight then taken year nine over a holiday and had managed to catch up with his age group and started year ten with his peers. He had also forgotten how boring school was though. The only thing Ralph liked about school was being on the football team. Apparently, all the running he did on the island made for a great running back. However, it was now January and football season was long gone.

Looking back to his mathematics notes, Ralph noticed that he had only done the first problem. Quickly picking up his pencil, Ralph rushed through the rest of the worksheet to finish before the end of class. Just as he was finishing, the now familiar sound of the school bell rang to signal the end of class. Gathering his things together, Ralph made a mad dash for the door along with the rest of the class to try to get to lunch before all the good food was gone.

"Ralph, will you wait for just a moment?" Mrs. Winslow, his teacher, asked.

"Sure," Ralph sighed with the understanding that he would be eating mystery meet for lunch today and walked to Mrs. Winslow's desk. "Is there something wrong, mam?"

"No, no, Ralph, you're not in trouble." She chuckled a bit before continuing, "As we just got back from Christmas holiday, we thought it would be an opportune time to integrate a new student. When I was told he was from England, I thought that you should tour him around. Maybe it will make him feel more comfortable talking with someone from his native country." Mrs. Winslow smiled as she finished.

"I'd love to tour him around." Ralph lied through his forced grin. "When does he get here?"

"He will be here tomorrow morning, but he will be in ninth grade, so you will tour him around during your lunch period." She smiled politely and looked back down at the tests she was grading, signaling it was okay for Ralph to go to lunch.

As he walked to the office to go meet the student, Ralph remembered the conversation he'd had with Mrs. Winslow the day before to remind him how he gotten roped into doing this. As he opened the door, he saw a tall boy who, at first glance looked rather lanky, but, upon further inspection, had slightly toned arms and muscular legs under his uniform. It wasn't until the boys turned around that Ralph saw the freckles. And the green eyes. And the fiery, red hair.

"Ralph, I'd like you to meet Jack Merridew."

 **Ok tell me what y'all think. I'm realizing now that the Lord of the Flies Fandom don't have as many followers as the other fandoms I have posted in (Percy Jackson and the Mortal Instruments), but the lack of viewers is making me feel bad, so, if you enjoy this (I AM TALKING TO YOU AWESOME PERSON WHO DECIDED TO ACTUALLY READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE) please follow or favorite the story (or me. I enjoying being appreciated). Questions, comments, concerns, and reviews are also very welcome. I have now mostly completed the next chapter, which I find to be so much better because I didn't have to worry about it being graded, so be on the lookout for that in the coming days (or hours depending on how creative I'm feeling)**

 **XOXO- the beauty of nightmares**


	6. The Ones Reunited

**I had an idea for something. I ask you people to favorite follow etc at the end of every single chapter, but I have way more views than follows or favorites, so I'm gonna shout out to the users who do follow, favorite, etc at the beginning of every chapter. NOTE: You only get one shout out for each thing you do. I will mention you at the beginning of the chapter after I notice.**

 **Favorites: Izi Wilson and pancake3321**

 **Follows: pancake3321, theMusicofyourSoul, and acolossalnerd**

 **Ok, Story time!**

Ralph just stared at Jack. He'd grown up. He was taller than the lanky boy who had gotten stranded with him and looked more broken than the boy he'd gotten off the boat with. It looked like he'd finally grown into his height, too. His arms, legs, and torso had filled out a bit, but he still looked as starved as the last day Ralph had seen him. Jack's hair was a bit darker, messier, and a bit less wavy than when he'd gotten off the boat, but it still framed Jack's face the same way it had the first day Ralph had met him. Jack's eyes held less ferocity and looked as though they'd been emptied of all emotions. Jack looked as though he'd been hollowed out and was now only the shell of what he once was. Ralph just stared at the almost unrecognizable boy he had thought he would never have to lay eyes on again.

Jack couldn't help but do the same. The older boy had grown, too. He no longer looked like the twelve-year-old boy who'd held the world on his shoulders for three and a half years. Ralph's blonde hair, Jack could tell, was originally cut in a uniformed style, but was now a little shaggy. While Jack was a head taller than Ralph, it was obvious that Ralph was older by the way his face had lost all traces of childhood. Ralph also had put on some weight since the island, but it looked to be mostly muscle, not fat. His blues eyes had also changed, but not since the island. Ralph's eyes had gone from looking like a clear sky to piercing ice the moment the woman behind the desk had said Jack's name.

Neither boy really knew what to do. Should they pretend like they are just meeting for the first time? Or should they make it known that they knew each other and it would be a good idea to never put them in the same room again? Ralph, always the sure leader, spoke first.

"What are you doing here?" Ralph spoke in a grave tone. Jack noticed that Ralph's voice, while it had deepened, still held a sense of authority. Jack couldn't help but wonder if that tone was how Ralph always spoke, or if it was reserved for just for him.

"My dad decided that he didn't want to live in London anymore, so he moved us here, to the United States. I didn't realize you had moved here." Jack spoke, not like the ruthless chief he once was, but as the new kid talking to an older boy he knew hated him.

"You boys know each other? What a small world!" Ms. Lee, the school secretary, spoke, completely oblivious to the thick tension between the two boys.

"Yes mam, we know each other." Ralph answered with his voice still heavy with the many emotions and thoughts running through his mind.

"Well, that's just wonderful, isn't it? You boys had better get started on you tour so you can catch up with each other." Ms. Lee smiled sweetly at them as though she thought they'd been best friends when they'd known each other.

Ralph turned around and started walking towards the door. As he opened it, he turned around to see a still stunned Jack standing in the same spot he had been since Ralph walked through the door.

"Well, are you coming?" Ralph asked with a layer of annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah" Jack answered, clearly shocked that Ralph was actually going to tour him. Jack quickly grabbed his stuff and rushed through the door that Ralph was still holding open. As the boys started walking down the long hall on the first floor, the distinct sound of silence filled their ears. "So," Jack started, "how have you been doing?"

"Don't start!" Ralph looked at Jack with more distain than either could have fathomed. "Do not start talking to me as though we have ever been friends. I am going to show you around until the end of the lunch period to keep up appearances, then I am going to class. As a matter of fact, after this, never talk to me again, never look at me again, and, you know what, just pretend like we are complete strangers."

Ralph rarely had outbursts like this. Even on the island, as both boys knew well, Ralph had usually been pretty level headed. Sure, he'd had his moments when he had gotten upset, but this was about ten miles past upset. This was pure fury.

"Okay." Jack hung his head. He didn't really know why he had tried. What he had done on the island was unforgiveable and he knew it. He also knew that Ralph had every right to hate him with every bone in his body and it was not surprising that he'd never wanted to see Jack again. He hadn't even told Ralph the truth as to why he was here. Jack had asked his father to move them far away from England. He'd been hoping that, if he was far enough away from where he thought all the other boys from the island were, he could escape his past.

Ten long minutes later, the tour was over and the two boys were standing outside of the classroom Jack was supposed to be in for his first class. Ralph had only said singular words the entire time after his outburst. Neither boy was complaining about it. As Ralph turned to go, Jack remembered the one thing he told himself he'd say if he ever saw any of the boys again.

"Ralph!" Jack called down the hall. Ralph turned and glared at him, the scum of the earth, as he walked back to hear what the younger boy had to say. Ralph stopped less than an arm's length away from Jack and looked up to stare him in the eye. Jack, withering under the gaze of the older boy, looked down at the floor before finishing his thought. "I'm sorry. For everything." Ralph stood there, stunned, for a solid minute before remembering that this was Jack, the ruthless boy who had killed Simon, indirectly killed Piggy, and attempted to kill him.

"I will never, ever forgive you."

 **I am so glad to finally post a chapter that is what I consider to be a normal length. So, not a lot to say other than I have exams coming up, so it could be a while before chapter 6, but I have an idea so it shouldn't be too long. As always, follow, favorite, etc.**

 **XOXO- the beauty of nightmares**


	7. The Ones Still by the Fire

**Author's note: I'm so sorry! I have a legit reason I swear! That will be at the end. (I did remember shoutouts though!)**

 **Favorites: Death Sound Like a Lullaby, chloeandmarinda, and** **katsudontmesswtithpiggy**

 **Follows:** **Death Sound Like a Lullaby,** **chloeandmarinda,** **katsudontmesswtithpiggy, and The Suburban Traveller**

 **Okay, story time!**

* * *

Jack couldn't remember how long he'd been in New York. He could tell it had been a while because all the snow that covered the ground when he'd arrived had long since melted away. He also knew it couldn't have been more than a few months because he still had a few weeks left of school before summer vacation. He just kept losing track of time. He hadn't expected to see Ralph when he'd arrived. Even now, it shocked Jack just seeing Ralph around school. Partially because he'd never really gotten over the initial shock and partially because Ralph avoided him like the plague, so running into each other was a rare occasion. Oddly enough for Jack, he found himself looking forward to those rare occasions.

He didn't really know why. Ralph never acknowledged him when Jack smiled to him if they passed each other. For a time, Jack had come to diagnosis that he liked because it annoyed Ralph, which had always given him some pleasure on the island, but he later came to a much more startling conclusion: Jack honest to goodness wanted to be Ralph's friend. He hadn't realized how close he'd come to rely on the other boys on the island when he'd been there, even the ones he'd tried to kill. Although there was still a part of Jack that new he'd come to the wrong answer about the handsome, blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy that was Ralph, but Jack was used to continuously telling that part of himself to shut up, so he had didn't have too much trouble ignoring that voice.

To appease his subconscious, Jack was going to the annual end-of-the-year bonfire that, apparently, most of the school went to because he knew there'd be a pretty good chance of Ralph being there. He wasn't quite sure though. It was a bonfire. Fire had always been what Ralph thought would save the boys on the island and, sure enough, it had. But the fire that had saved them had originally had a very different purpose: to kill Ralph. Jack wasn't sure Ralph would ever want to go near fire again _(he knew he sure didn't, he was just going to see Ralph)._

In his few months at school, Jack had mostly kept to himself. He ate alone at lunch, didn't talk to people outside of class, and certainly didn't try to do anything outside of school. After school, Jack just walked home, alone, to the large apartment he and his dad shared. The only reason he even knew about the end of school bonfire was from some girls who insisted on talking to him. Jack wasn't sure if he would call them beautiful, or even pretty, but he guesses they were kind of cute. They were the type of rich popular girls that everyone seemed to pretend to like but hated behind their backs. According to them, they thought Jack's accent was "super-hot."

When Ralph had seen him arrive, he'd out of sight so that he wouldn't be bothered. He knew Jack was trying. He'd seen every friendly smile directed at him, even though he'd ignored every single one. He knew Jack didn't fit in. Ralph had never once seen Jack talk to anyone at school or even be in the company of people outside of class. Ralph had seen the regret and depression painted on Jack's face as he walked home alone every day. In all honesty, Ralph pitied the kid, because that's what he was: a kid. He was just a kid on the island as well. A kid who didn't know what else to do but survive anyway he could. When he realized that, Ralph knew that, whether or not he'd wanted to, he'd forgiven Jack Merridew. That didn't mean he wanted to be friends with him though.

When he got the empty lot where the bonfire was being held, Jack could see the flames peaking above all the heads that danced around it as music played from a few people's cars. Taking a deep breath, Jack moved toward the crowd. Unwilling to get any closer than he had to, Jack decided to stay on the outskirts of the crowd while trying to find Ralph. As Jack circled the perimeter, the sway of the people, and the music they danced to, began pulling Jack closer and closer to the fire until he was standing right in front of it. Jack watched as flames rose and fell before him and blurred everything around him until he was back on the Island hunting for pig, beating an innocent Simon to death. The cheers of the crowd warp into savage cries as Jack sees the blood and death.

He saw Jack look around the crowd for a minute before getting close to it. Ralph saw the hesitation to go anywhere near the fire in Jack's eyes. As Jack walked around the crowd, it seemed liked he got sucked into the chaos because, just for a moment, Ralph couldn't even see his bright red hair. Ralph looked towards the flame and saw the red head again. For a moment, he just watched Jack stare at the flame. At first, he looked interested in the fire and the way it moved. As seconds passed, Jack's face contorted into a look of focus before it morphed to horror and regret. Ralph didn't look away as Jack slowly backed away from the flame until there were a few people between it and him before turning and practically running away from the hot, crackling fire.

Ralph knew what it was like. It had taken him a few months to work up the nerve to look at the fire for the stove. It took even longer to be near a fire in a chimney. Honestly, he still wasn't very comfortable at the bonfire. When Ralph saw Jack sink down behind a car, he knew that, no matter what their problems were, he needed to go help him

The only reason Jack knew was running was because of how fast the music was getting louder. Jack hurriedly weaved his way through the crowd until he was behind one of the cars blasting the latest pop hits through its speakers. As he sank to the ground hugging his knees, Jack was vaguely aware of the noise and the heat and the burning smell and the heat. He wanted – _needed_ \- to get out of there, but he couldn't move. All he could do was cower behind a car trying not to see the flames take over everything.

Ralph was walking normally until he saw Jack start rocking himself on the ground. That's when Ralph broke into a jog, then a run, then he was sprinting to the boy who he knew was having a panic attack just like the ones he used to have.

What Jack couldn't hear was the footsteps that had gotten faster and faster and were closing in on him.

Jack didn't look at Ralph until he was crouched next to him on the ground.

Jack couldn't see him until he was crouching in front of him. _Ralph._

* * *

 **Author's Note: Okay, so my super good reason is that I joined my school's First Robotics** **Competition team this year in January and was busy juggling that and school until after Champs which was mid-April, but at that point I'd messed up some of my grades pretty badly, so I had to fix that, then I had exams in late May (I had another robotics thing during exam week too, so I had to reschedule a bunch of stuff), so I've been extremely busy. This is the beginning of my third week of summer right now, so I have a bit more time, but I still have to do a chapter of APUSH over the summer along with travel and more robotics, so I'm not sure when another update will happen and I'm not gonna make promises I can't keep. Anyway, I'll try to start writing a new chapter for this but I do have some one-shots as well if y'all go check out my stories. Hope y'all liked this chapter!**

 **XOXO - the Beauty of Nightmares**


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